The bizarre and unsettling world of Severance has always been filled with cryptic clues and eerie unanswered questions, but none more baffling than Lumon’s mysterious goat department.
First introduced in season 1 as an unsettling anomaly, season 2, episode 3 finally peels back the curtain – only to reveal even more disturbing implications.
What Is the Mammalians Nurturable Department Really Doing?
Until now, the purpose of Lumon’s goat-filled room was a lingering mystery. Season 1 introduced the concept when Mark and Helly stumbled upon a man feeding baby goats, who cryptically warned, “You can’t take them yet. They’re not ready.”
That single sentence hinted at a deeper significance, but the first season never expanded on it.
Now, season 2 confirms that this eerie setup belongs to the Mammalians Nurturable department, a division responsible for raising the goats under highly controlled conditions. Unlike Macrodata Refinement, this department is far more populated, suggesting its work is critical to Lumon’s operations.
Employees feed the goats by hand, tend to them in husbandry tanks, and even dress in hybrid business-farming attire – perhaps to psychologically condition them for the work.
The deeper question, though, is why? What is Lumon’s true goal with these goats, and why are they raised in such secrecy? As is typical with Severance, the truth is likely far darker than it first appears.
Could the Goats Be Test Subjects for Something More Sinister?
One of the most compelling theories is that Lumon is using the goats as biological test subjects before experimenting on severed employees.
Much like how Macrodata Refinement’s workers unknowingly process numbers that likely impact human lives, Mammalians Nurturable employees might be preparing these animals for something beyond their understanding.
The clues are subtle but chilling. The department head, played by Gwendoline Christie, immediately reacts with fear when Mark and Helly stumble in, asking, “Are you here to kill me?”
This paranoia suggests she knows something deeply disturbing about her work – something that might put her in danger. Additionally, the cryptic warning from season 1 – that the goats “aren’t ready” yet – implies a meticulous and possibly unethical conditioning process.
Could Lumon be testing behavioral control, genetic modifications, or even consciousness manipulation on these animals before applying similar techniques to severed employees? The parallels are too strong to ignore.
What Does This Mean for the Future of Severance?
If the goat department is part of Lumon’s broader human experimentation efforts, it raises terrifying questions about what’s happening to severed employees like Ms. Casey.
Lumon has already shown a disturbing willingness to tamper with memories, personalities, and human autonomy. If they’re conducting trials on animals first, it suggests they’re refining a technique – one they eventually plan to perfect on humans.
As Severance continues peeling back its layers, the goat department may prove to be one of its most crucial – and horrifying – revelations. It’s not just an odd side experiment; it might be the key to understanding Lumon’s true agenda. The deeper Mark and Helly dig, the closer they get to a truth that could change everything.
Final Thoughts
Lumon’s goat department is more than just a bizarre subplot – it’s a chilling window into the company’s twisted experiments. Whether the goats are test subjects or something even worse, one thing is clear: nothing at Lumon is as innocent as it seems.
And if the goats were never meant to leave, what does that say about the severed employees?
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About Severance
Severance is an American science fiction psychological thriller television series created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle. It stars Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette.
The series premiered on Apple TV+ on February 18, 2022.
The plot follows Mark Scout (Scott), an employee of the fictional corporation Lumon Industries who agrees to a “severance” program in which his non-work memories are separated from his work memories.
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